Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX User manual

User’s Guide

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creative Technology Ltd. No part of this manual may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the written permission of

Creative Technology Ltd. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the

license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any other medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. The licensee may make one copy of

the software for backup purposes only.

The Software License Agreement is found in a separate folder on this installation CD. The copyright and disclaimer, including trademark issues are also found in the same folder.

Version 1.2

March 2003

Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks, and the Sound Blaster Audigy logo, the Sound Blaster PCI logo, EAX ADVANCED HD, Multi-Environment, Environment

Panning, Environment Reflections, Environment Filtering, Environment Morphing, Creative Multi Speaker Surround, Inspire, and Oozic are trademarks of Creative Technology

Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. E-Mu and SoundFont are registered trademarks of E-mu Systems, Inc.. Cambridge SoundWorks, MicroWorks and PC Works are

registered trademarks, and PC Works FourPointSurround is a trademark of Cambridge SoundWorks, Inc.. Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of

Microsoft Corporation. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby", "Pro Logic", "MLP Lossless", and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby

is a registered trademark of THX Ltd.. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

This product is covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents:

4,506,579; 4,699,038; 4,987,600; 5,013,105; 5,072,645; 5,111,727; 5,144,676; 5,170,369; 5,248,845; 5,298,671; 5,303,309; 5,317,104; 5,342,990; 5,430,244; 5,524,074;

5,698,803; 5,698,807; 5,748,747; 5,763,800; 5,790,837.

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Contents

Introduction

High-definition digital audio entertainment ................................................................................... i

What is EAX ADVANCED HD? .............................................................................................................. ii

Package Contents........................................................................................................................... iii

System Requirements .................................................................................................................... iii

Getting More Information ............................................................................................................. iv

Visit the Soundblaster website ...................................................................................................... iv

Technical Support ........................................................................................................................... v

Document Conventions .................................................................................................................. v

1 About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware

What You Need ........................................................................................................................................ 1-1

Your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX card....................................................................................1-2

Your Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O Module................................................................................. 1-3

Adjusting the volume-level of Headphones and Microphone................................................... 1-7

Using the Remote Control ....................................................................................................................... 1-8

Remote Control Functions....................................................................................................................... 1-9

2 Installing Hardware

Installation Steps ...................................................................................................................................... 2-1

Step 1: Prepare the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware........................................ 2-1

Step 2: Prepare your computer.................................................................................................... 2-2

Step 3: Install the audio card ....................................................................................................... 2-3

Step 4: Install the joystick............................................................................................................ 2-3

Step 5: Install the cables .............................................................................................................. 2-4

Step 6: Connect to AC power socket .......................................................................................... 2-6

Connecting Related Peripherals .............................................................................................................. 2-7

Connecting Related Peripherals (cont’d) ................................................................................................ 2-8

Connecting Speakers Systems............................................................................................................... 2-11

Positioning Your Speakers..................................................................................................................... 2-12

3 Installing Software

Installing Drivers and Applications......................................................................................................... 3-1

Using Creative Software AutoUpdate..................................................................................................... 3-2

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo................................................................................. 3-2

Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Applications and Device Drivers ..................................................... 3-3

Reinstalling all Audio Drivers and Applications...................................................................... 3-3

Uninstalling all Audio Drivers and Applications ................................................................................... 3-3

Installing/Uninstalling selected Audio Drivers and Applications.......................................................... 3-4

Updating Windows 2000 (Service Pack 3)............................................................................................. 3-5

Updating Windows with Digital Video Update......................................................................................3-5

4 Using Audigy 2 Software

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Applications...................................................................................... 4-1

Demos....................................................................................................................................................... 4-2

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Getting Started Demo ......................................................................... 4-2

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo .................................................................... 4-2

Introduction to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 software suite ................................................................... 4-3

Creative MediaSource Go!.......................................................................................................... 4-3

Creative MediaSource Go! Launcher ......................................................................................... 4-3

Creative MediaSource Player...................................................................................................... 4-4

“What-U-Hear” multichannel recording .................................................................................... 4-4

Creative MediaSource Organizer................................................................................................ 4-4

Creative MediaSource DVD-Audio Player ................................................................................ 4-6

Creative EAX Console ................................................................................................................ 4-6

Creative Surround Mixer............................................................................................................. 4-8

Creative Speaker Settings............................................................................................................ 4-8

Creative Speaker Calibrator......................................................................................................... 4-8

Creative MiniDisc Center............................................................................................................ 4-9

Creative SoundFont Bank Manager............................................................................................ 4-9

Creative Audio Stream Recorder 2 ............................................................................................. 4-9

Creative Wave Studio................................................................................................................. 4-10

Diagnostic and troubleshooting utilities................................................................................................ 4-10

Creative Diagnostics .................................................................................................................. 4-10

Creative Speaker Settings.......................................................................................................... 4-10

A General Specifications

Features.................................................................................................................................................... A-1

Connectivity............................................................................................................................................. A-3

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX Card............................................................................... A-3

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O Module .................................................... A-4

B Troubleshooting and FAQs

Problems Installing Software.................................................................................................................. B-1

Problems with Sound .............................................................................................................................. B-1

Problems with File Transfers on Some VIA Chipset Motherboards.................................................... B-5

Insufficient SoundFont Cache ................................................................................................................ B-6

Problems with the Joystick ..................................................................................................................... B-7

Problems with Multiple Audio Devices................................................................................................. B-8

Problems with Sound Blaster Live! Series or Sound Blaster PCI512 card.......................................... B-9

Resolving I/O Conflicts ........................................................................................................................ B-10

Problems with Encore DVD Player ..................................................................................................... B-11

Problems with Software DVD Player .................................................................................................. B-11

Problems with DV driver for Windows 98 SE/2000/Me/XP.............................................................. B-12

Problems in XP...................................................................................................................................... B-13

Problems with Digital Audio Devices.................................................................................................. B-14

Introduction

Introduction i

Introduction

High-definition

digital audio

entertainment

Thank you for purchasing Sound Blaster

®

Audigy

™

2 Platinum eX, consisting of the Sound Blaster

Audigy 2 Platinum eX card, the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O Module and an IR

remote control. It is the most complete affordable high-definition digital audio entertainment solution you

can find on the market today.

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 has received the prestigious THX Multimedia Certification award, making it the

perfect choice for PC audiophiles seeking the very best music and movie experiences.

Featuring 24-bit/192 kHz audio playback feature, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX delivers high-

definition sound of astounding quality with 24-bit/96 kHz audio recording capability from all Line Ins and

SPDIF In. Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX supports 6.1 channel Dolby

®

Digital Surround EX

surround sound audio on your computer and 5.1 output from the 96 kHz sampling rates of DVD-Audio

discs using MLP lossless compression.

The External I/O Module provides front panel access to microphone, headphone, input/output, and MIDI

connections — all located away from your computer and closer to your work area. The Sound Blaster

Audigy 2 Platinum eX is the only Audigy 2 product with ASIO driver support for 24-bit/96 kHz recording

- allowing musicians to produce high quality works. Additionally, an IEEE 1394-compliant SB1394™/

FireWire

®

connection is provided for high-speed connectivity to NOMAD

®

portable digital audio players,

external CD-RW drives and other IEEE 1394 compatible devices like DV Camcorders, printers, scanners,

and digital still cameras.

The infrared remote control offers convenient control of your computer for tasks like playing audio or

video CDs, at distances up to four meters (13 feet).

MLP (Meridian Lossless

Packing), the method of

audio data compression used

in DVD-Audio, reduces file size

without removing any of the

information contained in the

original recording. The listening

audience will hear the audio as it

was intended in the original

recording. Other packing

methodologies that remove data as

part of the compression are

referred to as 'Lossy

Compression'.

Introduction ii

What is EAX

ADVANCED

HD?

EAX

®

ADVANCED HD™ brings a new level of performance, power, and flexibility to PC audio. Taking

advantage of the increased processing capabilities of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 processor, EAX

ADVANCED HD delivers a host of new features to achieve high definition audio for gaming and music

enhancement.

The EAX ADVANCED HD Game Audio Library takes in-game audio and acoustic simulation to a whole

new level. These innovative technologies bring tremendous realism and total audio immersion to PC

gamers:

❑ New Multi-Environment

TM

technology renders multiple environment audio environments in real

time.

❑ Environment Panning

TM

makes it easy for gamers to track with three-dimensional precision, the

location and movement of sounds that usually represent enemies or team mates. This gives Sound

Blaster Audigy 2 gamers a better advantage as they are more aware of the game environment.

❑ Environment Reflections

TM

offers localization of early reflections and echoes such as reflections

created by canyon walls or cliffs.

❑ Environment Filtering

TM

simulates the propagation of sound in both indoor and outdoor game arenas.

❑ Environment Morphing

TM

allows for seamless transitions from one environment to the next.

EAX ADVANCED HD Music Technologies also ensures sonic superiority:

❑ Audio Clean-Up removes unwanted noise in a digital audio file.

❑ Time Scaling speeds up and slows down music without distortion.

❑ EAX ADVANCED HD music effects, developed especially for music listening, further enhance

playback of songs.

EAX ADVANCED HD offers dramatically increased 3D audio performance and functionality. Delivering

superior audio fidelity and sophisticated reverb effects, this unsurpassed digital entertainment experience

is available only from the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 family of products.

Introduction iii

Package Contents The following items are included in your package:

❑ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX card

❑ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O Module and IR remote control

❑ AD_LINK cable

❑ Power converter Cable

❑ Joystick/MIDI bracket

❑ 3.5 mm minijack to ¼” plug adapter

❑ Two AAA batteries for the IR remote control

❑ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and Applications CD

❑ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo CD

❑ Creative DVD-Audio Sampler Disc

❑ Quick Start leaflet

❑ User’s Guide (on CD)

❑ Warranty (printed or on CD)

❑ Technical Support (printed or on CD)

System

Requirements

Sound Blaster Audigy 2

Platinum eX hardware

❑ Genuine Intel

®

Pentium

®

II 350 MHz, AMD

®

K6 450 MHz or faster processor

for SB1394/FireWire applications or games

❑ Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard chipset

❑ Windows

®

98 Second Edition (SE), Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows 2000 Service Pack

2 (SP2) or Windows XP

❑ 64 MB RAM for Windows 98 SE and Windows Me

128 MB RAM for Windows 2000 (SP2) and Windows XP

❑ 600 MB of free hard disk space

❑ Available PCI 2.1 compliant slot for the audio card

❑ Available space for the included joystick/MIDI bracket (optional)

The items listed here may vary

from country to country.

Introduction iv

❑ Headphones or amplified speakers (available separately)

❑ At least one CD-ROM/CD-RW or DVD-ROM drive installed

SB1394/FireWire appli-

cations, games, DVD

audio and video

❑ Genuine Intel Pentium III 500 MHz, or AMD 700 MHz processor for SB1394/FireWire applications

or games

❑ SB1394/FireWire: minimum 128 MB RAM and 1 GB workspace for digital video (DV) capture and

editing. For DV applications, recommended minimum is an Ultra DMA hard disk with 6 GB

workspace (ATA-100, 7,200 rpm type).

❑ Games: At least 128 MB RAM, 3D graphics accelerator with at least 8 MB of texture RAM, available

300–500 MB of free hard disk space

❑ DVD: At least second generation DVD-ROM drive with these recommended soft-DVD players:

InterVideo’s WinDVD 2000 or CyberLink’s PowerDVD 3.0 or later

❑ DVD-Audio: Pentium III or AMD Athlon 1 GHz or faster processor recommended. Requires 256 MB

RAM for Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000 SP3 or Windows XP SP1, Also requires a

second-generation 6X or faster DCD-ROM drive.

Visit www.soundblaster. com for updates on OS-specific support issues.

Internet multimedia and

entertainment

Internet Radio: requires at least a 56 kbps modem and an active Internet connection to run the application

Other Internet applications may have higher system requirements or may require a microphone. Refer to

the application’s online Help documentation for details.

Getting More

Information

Refer to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Getting Started demo and the various online Help files for detailed

information on Creative applications. The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase demo gives you an

interactive introduction to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 and demonstrates the card’s capabilities.

Visit the

Soundblaster

website

View the contents of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and Applications CD for additional libraries

and other software. Visit the www.soundblaster.com site for the latest Sound Blaster news and products.

The site also includes information on making purchases, technical help, and http://www.soundblaster.com/

support for the automated driver download and installation.

Minimum 256 MB RAM

recommended for Windows 2000

SP3 and Windows XP users for

games and DV capture and editing.

Introduction v

Technical Support Visit http://www.soundblaster.com/support/faq/ for general help.

Document

Conventions

The following typographical conventions are used throughout this manual:

The notepad icon indicates information that is of particular importance and

should be considered before continuing.

The alarm clock designates a caution or warning that can help you avoid

situations involving risk.

The warning sign indicates that failure to adhere to directions may result in

bodily harm or life-threatening situations.

1

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2

Platinum eX hardware

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware 1-1

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware

What You Need

Before you begin installation, be sure that you have these:

In addition, you will also need

an available PCI slot and another

adjacent available slot on your

computer.

Sound Blaster

Audigy 2 Platinum eX card

Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O

Module

Phillips-head

screwdriver (not

included)

AD_LINK cable

Figure 1-1: What you need.

Joystick/MIDI bracket

Power Converter Cable

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware 1-2

Your Sound

Blaster Audigy 2

Platinum eX card

Your audio card has these jacks and connectors to enable the attachment of a wide variety of devices:

Click any circled number in the

diagram to see a description of the

item.

The Audigy 2 Platinum eX card

works as a stand-alone audio card.

However to enjoy all the features

available, you need to connect it to

the External I/O Module.

Figure 1-2: Jacks, connectors and ports

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware 1-3

Your Audigy 2

Platinum eX

External I/O

Module

Your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O Module has these jacks, connectors and controls:

Click any circled number in the

diagram to see a description of

the item.

Figure 1-3: Jacks, connectors and controls.

10

11

12

13

14

15

1 2 3 4

56

7 8 9

• To connect your existing

computer headphones and

microphone to the External I/

O Module, use a 3.5 mm (1/

8”) minijack to 1/4” plug

adapter.

• Set the gain level of the Mic In

2 jack to the minimum before

connecting or turning on a

microphone, especially if you

are using headphones.

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware 1-4

Table 1: The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX card

Number Description

1 Joystick/MIDI connector

Connects to the Joystick/MIDI bracket for gamepads, other input and MIDI devices.

2AD_LINK 2 port

Connects to the External I/O Module’s AD_LINK2 port to supply power.

3 AD_LINK 1 connector

Connects to the External I/O Module for transferring data.

4 Line Out 3 jack

Connects to Front Center, subwoofer and Rear Center inputs of powered analog

speakers or an external amplifier.

5 Line Out 2 jack

Connects to Rear Left/Right analog inputs of powered analog speakers or an external

amplifier.

6 Line Out 1 jack

Connects to Front Left/Right analog input of an external amplifier or to powered

analog speakers, or headphones.

7 Power Connector

Connects to the supplied power converter cable.

8 Aux_In connector

Connects to an analog output of a CD or DVD-ROM drive.

9 CD_SPDIF connector

Connects to the digital output of a CD or DVD-ROM drive.

Click here or on any description to

return to the diagram of the Sound

Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX

card.

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware 1-5

Table 2: Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O Module

Number Description

1 SB1394/FireWire port

Connects to an IEEE 1394 compatible external device (such as a digital video

camcorder, digital still camera, printer or scanner).

2 Optical SPDIF Out/In

For recording/playback devices with optical connectors.

3Line In 2 jack

For analog devices like music synthesizers and other line-level sources.

4 Line In 1/Mic In jack

For line sources (for example, electric guitars) or dynamic microphones.

5 ¼-inch Headphone jack

For connecting to headphones. (Speaker output will be muted).

6 Microphone Input Sensitivity control knob

Controls the input level of a microphone signal.

7 Master Volume control knob

Controls the overall output volume.

8CMSS Switch

Turns the Creative MediaSource MultiSpeaker Surround

®

feature on or off.

9 Infrared Receiver

Lets you control your computer via the IR remote control.

Click here or on any description to

return to the diagram of the

External I/O Module.

About your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX hardware 1-6

10 Line In 3 (Aux In) jacks

Connects to analog devices like VCRs, TVs and CD players.

11 Standard MIDI In/Out connectors

Connects to MIDI devices via standard DIN cables.

12 SPDIF In/Out Coaxial jacks

For digital audio recording/playback devices such as DAT and MiniDisc recorders.

13 SPDIF Digital Out Mini DIN jack

Outputs digital audio via mini DIN cable.

14 AD_LINK 1 Connector

Connects to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX card's AD_LINK 1 cable's

connector.

15 AD_LINK 2 Connector (SB1394/FireWire port)

Connects to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX card's AD_Link 2 connector

via the supplied 1.8 meter (5-feet) AD_LINK cable. It provides power to the External

I/O Module. Next to AD_LINK 2 is another SB1394/ FireWire port, for connection

to IEEE1394-compatible devices.

Table 2: Audigy 2 Platinum eX External I/O Module

Number Description

Click here or on any description

to return to the diagram of the

External I/O Module.

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